Broadcast systems have embraced the demand for high quality transmissions made possible by digital technology. The digital revolution has transformed the delivery of broadband services, including audio and video programming as well as data transmission. Satellite communication systems have emerged as a viable solution for supporting such broadband services. As such, power and bandwidth efficient modulation and coding are highly desirable for satellite communications systems to provide reliable communication across noisy communication channels. Receiver performance is negatively impacted by co-channel interference. Such interference occurs largely from frequency-reuse, as spectral allocation of frequencies is finite and expensive. In practical applications, the co-channel interference may stem from transmission of other system operators, a satellite operating in adjacent orbital slots, or other spot beams in a spot beam satellite system.
Traditionally, the negative effects of co-channel interference have been minimized by redesigning the frequency assignments or altering (by upgrading) the transmission facilities to confine the spreading of the signals. These approaches require significant engineering investments (assuming that a technical solution is even possible); this necessarily entails significant costs.
Therefore, there is a need for a communication system that minimizes co-channel interference without requiring substantial system redesign.